


[Day 4] Kazunari

by ShadoWolf55



Series: MidoTaka Week 2017 [8]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, MidoTaka Week 2017, aoima - implied, himumura - implied, kagakuro - implied, kasaki - implied, midotaka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-14 09:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11205390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadoWolf55/pseuds/ShadoWolf55
Summary: Day 4 Prompts:Judgement || Confession || “This is a gamble.”This is awfully late, I know. I will get all the stories up, just that they might be a day or 2 late.[midotakaweek2017.tumblr.com]





	1. Reignition

He gazed at his view in the mirror and bit his lip. Whatever he was going to do, it was definitely risky, definitely not something he would ever try to do. But this was different, this was a gamble in which he had equal chances of winning or losing. His anxiety and fear played a factor in avoiding the gamble, but his desire for something more was probing him to take a step forward.

Because he was hopelessly in love with Takao Kazunari.

Yet, he knew this was not expected of him. He was Midorima Shintarou, the potential successor for his father’s company, a renowned and reputable one in Japan. If his family knew he was on _that_ side of the fence, he would likely be kicked out. He would never achieve his father’s goals or meet his mother’s standards. Because of this, he wanted to deny his feelings for the point guard but he couldn’t. He wanted to snarl when Otsubo asked him if he had feelings for Takao but he couldn’t. Deep inside, he knew there was no way he could conceal those burning feelings and ended up embracing them.

Midorima felt himself growing closer to Takao, he felt himself enjoying Takao’s presence instead of finding it annoying like he used to. Most of all, he found the reason why he fell in love with the hawk eye. His eyes, those dark, blue eyes full of passion that danced over in amusement.

For a few months, Midorima managed to hide it in and remain stoic like he usually was when around Takao. Somehow, Takao had noticed a change in his behaviour and asked him a question that completely caught the greenhead off guard.

“Shin-chan, are you actually enjoying my company~”

“Shut up, Takao.” A deep blush crept up his face, had he been that obvious?

“You didn’t answer my question, Shin-chan~”

“I’m not, I currently am not, there’s no way I could, _nanodayo_.” Midorima pushed up his glasses with his taped fingers, putting on an annoyed expression as he walked away. Yet, he could feel his heart banging wildly against his chest, his body stiffening and perspiration dripping down.

What on earth.

He started wondering if he had the wrong lucky item when his captain asked him about Takao. Maybe he should have brought a key made out of silver instead of a silver-coloured key. Maybe he should have brought more keys with him instead of a bunch of his house keys.

“Midorima, can I speak to you for a moment?” Otsubo had called out to him after practice, when he was staying behind to practice his 3 pointers. Midorima knew he had used up his 3 selfish whims and it was best not to test his captain’s patience. Otsubo had led him to the club room and closing the door behind them.

“Midorima, I do not know if I should ask this but, do you, by chance have any feelings for Takao?”

Midorima swore his heart stopped beating for a second and he could feel his hands trembling. He could not say anything, his limbs would not move, his breathing was getting heavy and all he could do was stare at his captain. Upon noticing the shooting guard’s sudden reaction, Otsubo continued his point, “If you do, I would gladly say that it is helping the team improve because your cooperation with Takao is much better. However, if something ever happens, I am unsure whether it will affect the team negatively. I am sure you do not want that to happen either.”

Shakily, he mumbled a response. His mind still was not really care, but was rather swarming with random possibilities and ideas about his relationship with Takao. “It is true, I presume I have feelings for Takao. I understand that it could be potentially cause trouble for the team and therefore, I will do nothing to start any quarrels or troubles.”

“Great that you understand, but are you going to confess to him?”

_Does he not care that I am actually swung that way?_

“I have no idea about that.”

“Either ways, I wish you luck. Try not to stay back so late today, the management will be furious if they realise we have been staying back after 7.”

“Understood, captain. I will be going home earlier today.”

Takao had left earlier because he had errands to run for his mother. That left Midorima alone in school with the only option of walking home. Although his house was not exactly far away from the school, he had seen taking the rickshaw as a privilege. For the record, he never lost in a single ‘rock-paper-scissors’ game, neither did he ever have to pedal the rickshaw. When he finally reached home, he went straight to his room, trying to have minimal conversations with his parents.

_Are my feelings that obvious that even captain realised? Does that mean Takao probably realised I love him? Oh god. If he does, I’m dead. He can’t know, I am sure he definitely is not swung that way. If he does, our friendship might end, we will likely drag down the team’s moral and everything else._

_What would he think of me if he knew I wasn’t straight?_

X-X-X

“Midorima-kun, your feelings for Takao-kun is painfully obvious. Are you even trying to hide it?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Of course, Midorima. Pretty much _everyone_ knows you like Takao, except maybe Takao himself!” Aomine banged his fist on the table in irritation.

He certainly wished he never ran into them. He was supposed to take the day off reading a new series he got addicted to but he met Kuroko in the library and they ended up at Maji Burger. Kise joined them since his modelling studio was nearby and Aomine, well Aomine just happened to be there. They were conversing about High School, about their current team when Aomine started teasing Midorima about Akashi. “I do not like Akashi a single bit,” he had replied indignantly. “Well, that must be because Midorimacchi has Takaocchi!”

“But won’t Akashicchi be upset?”

“Akashi? Oh, wasn’t he awfully close with Midorima like Satsuki and Tetsu?”

“Please do not compare Midorima-kun to me, Aomine-kun.”

“Yeah, wasn’t Akashicchi and Midorimacchi together?”

“We weren’t, nanodayo. I don’t understand what you are talking about, nothing happened between me and Akashi. I don’t even like that guy.”

“So it’s a one-sided relationship huh? Well, who cares since it pretty much looks two sided to me when you’re with Takao. I mean, look at that guy, he’s all smiles when he’s with you.”

“Pfftt, even senpai knows how close you two are, Midorimacchi-ssu!”

“WHAT?”

“Oh, by the way, Murasakibara’s gonna make you some chocolates for you to pass to Takao.” The tanned boy sniggered and took another mouthful of his burger.

His face fell and buried his face in his hands in frustration. Did everyone know about his feelings?

“Kagami-kun was willing to bet with me that you were never going to confess. Of course I bet that you would because I am sure Midorima-kun would since he definitely loves Takao-kun.”

Exasperated, he looked up at the 3 pair of eyes that were on him. “How am I supposed to confess to him when he has a girlfriend?”

X-X-X


	2. Affirmation

“How am I supposed to confess to him when he has a girlfriend?”

Midorima watched as their expressions changed and leaned back again the back of his seat, tipping his head upwards to stare at the ceiling. This whole thing was messing up his head, giving him a bad headache and he didn’t even ask to be in such a mess! Kuroko was the first to break the silence.

“Does that mean Takao-kun probably isn’t like us?”

It was pretty common knowledge that none of the Generation of Miracles seem to have a liking in girls, even for Kise who had a lot of fangirls. Aomine always argued that he did like girls but everyone knew how much he equally fancied guys. And they were pretty open with their sexuality, everyone in Seirin knew that Kuroko was currently with Kagami, it didn’t take long for Kaijo to figure out that Kise was going out with his senpai and Yosen knew how Murasakibara slept in the same bad Himuro-san. Akashi was somewhere in Kyoto, likely dating Reo-san, and Aomine clearly had a thing for his captain. Needless to say, they all knew how Midorima loved Takao too.

“But that is a chance that Takaocchi is like us! I mean, I thought senpai only liked girls but it turns out he is definitely more into boys. Of course, he promised to only look at me!” “And Imayoshi clearly does not enjoy the attention of girls.” “You should stop rejecting his dates already, Aominecchi!” “Whatever.”

“This is so messed up,” was all Midorima could say as his head throbbed a little. Seriously, this was making him go mad!

“Shouldn’t we see if Takao is on the same page as Midorima?”

“This might actually be the smartest thing Aomine-kun has ever said.”

“Shut up, Tetsu.”

“But I agree with Aominecchi! We should ask if Takaocchi likes Midorimacchi!”

“That would be too straightforward, Ryota.” Someone replied and for a second, they wondered whose voice it was, not Kise’s high pitched voice, not Aomine’s lazy drawl or Kuroko’s polite speech. He certainly had not spoken either so could it be…?

Wait, wasn’t there only one person who ever addressed them by their given names?

“Akashicchi??” Kise turned around, startled to see the said boy looking back at him. His eyes were of the same colour, yet Akashi clearly chose to address them like his other self did.

“What is Akashi-kun doing here in Tokyo?”

“Ah, I dropped by to visit my father and happened to be around the area. I was actually here since the beginning but no one noticed, or should I add, only Tetsuya realised I was here but chose to say nothing.” Akashi smiled and took the seat opposite Midorima. “And I believe this conversation is about Shintarou’s love interest, Takao Kazunari, am I right?”

“Geez Akashi… I am pretty sure you are back to your old self so stop calling us by our given names will you…” “I must say it’s getting slightly annoying, Akashi. Also, Kuroko, why did you not tell us that Akashi was here sitting just a few tables away from us??”

“Because I saw no point in doing so. It would change nothing if I told you all that Akashi-kun was here so I chose not to.” The teal-haired boy took another sip of his vanilla milkshake and looked at the 4 of them with his poker face.

_Kuroko…_

“Back to the topic, I thought you had already confessed to Takao Kazunari since you two seemed awfully close.”

What?

“But you since you have yet to do so, I strongly urge you to. However, before you confess your feelings, we definitely need to know if Takao Kazunari is indeed one of us. I believe I can leave this job to Ryota since you are likely to hold conversations with him. Your personalities are starkly similar. Once we have confirmed that, we can-”

Midorima felt Akashi’s voice slowly fading away as he sunk deeper into his seat. Were they really going to ask Takao such a question? Before that, why did they even care that he loved Takao? Did they not have anything better to do?

Why were they interrupting his love life?

“Stop right there. I appreciate all your help but I refuse to let you ask Takao such a question. It will jeopardise our friendship and the team’s morality. I must tell you that I cannot allow it. I will handle this issue personally, nanodayo.”

“But if we did hand this over to you, would you ever ask him out? Would you ever find the courage to tell Takao Kazunari how much you love him?”

“Akashi-kun-”

“No, I must finish this, Tetsuya, because I find it foolish that Shintarou chose to conceal his feelings from the person he loved when I can safely say that he craves the boy’s touch.”

Midorima’s fist tightened and his body stiffened at that comment.

“He is basically a turtle hiding in his shell. If we don’t help him, nothing would change even after 5 years. He is too afraid to confess to Takao.”

“Oi, Akashi, that’s enough. He knows that already, cut him some slack. Jesus, he is fuming, Akashi. Just stop it.”

“If you don’t confess to him now, when will you? Or are you just going to watch yet another boy slip out from your touch like what happened with Nijimura? Are you going to let that happen again, Shintarou?” Akashi raised his voice, stood up from his seat and grabbed Midorima’s shirt, pulling the greenhead closer, “Are you going to let yourself suffer in pain for another 3 years?”

Midorima’s face wrenched up into a deep scowl and his eyes narrowed. He was trembling with rage and clearly looked like he would send a punch towards Akashi’s face. Because mentioning Nijimura was the last straw that broke not only his, but everyone’s back. They were all clearly aware about Midorima’s past interest with Nijimura and how the boy never found the courage to confess to Nijimura since he always thought their captain was into girls. However, they found out that after Nijimura left, he was going out with Haizaki and that news broke Midorima completely. Back then, it had taken them a lot of effort to get Midorima back onto his feet because somehow, the shooting guard deeply loved their captain. After that incident, no one talked about it anymore since the consequences were definitely dire. Even if they didn’t really want to interrupt since it was _Akashi_ speaking, they all knew they had to do something before everything went out of hand.

“Akashicchi, stop it. Let’s go and take a walk.” Kise pulled the redhead away from the shooting guard, dragging Akashi out of the place. Meanwhile, Aomine and Kuroko stayed behind to try to talk to Midorima.

“Look Midorima, I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean it. I know you’re mad but that’s Akashi.”

“You’re not helping, Aomine-kun.”

“I mean he kind of still feels for you so maybe upon knowing that you are in a way with Takao, he got mad and stuff.”

“Still not helping, Aomine-kun. Midorima-kun, ignore him. I think that Akashi-kun clearly lost his mind mentioning Nijimura-san.”

Midorima did not pay attention to what the former light and shadow were talking about. His head was swirling with words, the previous sentences replaying in his mind again and again like a broken recorder.

_\- Would you ever find the courage to tell Takao Kazunari that you love him?_

_I love him. I love Takao._

_\- I find it foolish that Shintarou chose to conceal his feelings from the person he loved when I can safely say that he craves the boy’s touch._

_I want to kiss him. I want to touch him._

_\- He is too afraid to confess to Takao._

_But I’m scared that I might be wrong._

_\- If you don’t confess to him now, when will you? Or are you just going to watch yet another boy slip out from your touch like what happened with Nijimura?_

_No._

_\- Are you going to let that happen again, Shintarou?_

_No._

_\- Are you going to let yourself suffer in pain for another 3 years?_

  1. _I can’t let that happen. I can’t let Takao leave me without ever telling him I love him._



_Because I really do._

_I really love Takao._

“Oi, Midorima, are you even listening to us? We said, ignore whatever Akashi just said, he’s being an asshole again like when he rambled on about Kagami and Tetsu.”

“Even if I did not show it, I was very much hurt when Akashi-kun said Kagami-kun was not fit enough to be my light.”

“Because I’m a much better light than him, Tetsu.”

“I am telling him.”

“You what?”

“I am telling Takao that I love him.”

“Are you even hearing yourself, Midorima? Look, you just went on rage mode when Akashi started talking nonsense and now you gonna confess? I don’t get how what Akashi said was any form of ‘advice’.”

“Aomine-kun, leave Midorima-kun alone. Midorima-kun should do what Midorima-kun wants.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Go do your lover boy thing and try not to get rejected.” “Stop making fun of Midorima-kun, Aomine-kun or I’m not going to be your shadow ever again.” “Stop with the threats, Tetsu.”

X-X-X

“Akashicchi! What on earth was that about?? I know you think he needs help but you shouldn’t mention Nijimura-senpai! What if he suddenly breaks down, the confession won’t even happen!” Kise exclaimed and Akashi just glared at him.

“He needs to know that if he’s not going to say anything, nothing will happen. That’s all there is to it.”

“But did you have to mention Nijimura-senpai?” Kise’s tone suddenly turned serious and Akashi turned back to look at him.

“Yes, because I feel jealous that Shintarou chose Takao Kazunari instead of me. If that’s the case, he better get his relationship with that point guard _right_ if not it would just be another 3 years of wasted time. He needs to know that if he doesn’t say anything, Takao Kazunari will just vanish from his life and might end up dating a boy.

You don’t want him to break down again, do you, Ryota? Believe me, Shintarou is strong enough not to be hurt by these words. Instead, I would say he is motivated to do something so why don’t we just sit back for a while and observe. If nothing happens in let’s say, a week, we will have to act. Now, if you excuse me, I have other things to attend to. Good day, Kise.”

“Goodbye, Akashicchi.”

_I feel jealous that Shintarou chose Takao Kazunari instead of me._

“So it really is one-sided… huh?”

X-X-X

 

“Midorima-kun, what do you plan to do?”

“I do not know.”

“I still think we need to ask if Takao’s gay because if we don’t, everything might just backfire,”

“But didn’t Akashi-kun say that’s too straightforward? It might just give away everything.”

“Midorima, when you said ‘I will handle this issue personally, nanodayo,” “Stop copying me!” “how were you going to handle it?” “I was going to take a gamble and just confess to him.”

“The risks are high, Midorima.”

“But would it not feel better to get if off my chest? How are you with Imayoshi to begin with?”

“Well, one day I walked up to his face and told him I loved him then I kissed him and he said ‘Let’s go out on a date’.”

“That’s the most straightforward confession I ever heard, Aomine-kun.”

“Shut up, Tetsu. How are you and Kagami even together?”

“He sent me a love letter under an anonymous name but anyone can recognise his handwriting. I keep telling him to stop trying to forge handwritings but he still believes he can do so.”

“Ha, Bakagami!”

“I can easily forge handwritings, nanodayo.” “You can? Then take Bakagami’s idea! I mean, you could write like, ‘Come meet me at the back gate after school’ or something, then you can hide and see if he really turns up and stuff.” “But what if he never expected it to be me?” “Then just confess to him, kiss him or some shit and run off. I’m pretty sure that’s what Kise did.” “That is… highly risky…” “Well, look how it turned out for Kise. Anyways, this is a gamble, and it’s completely up to you, Midorima.”

Midorima sat up and pondered for a bit.

He had two choices. To confess, or to conceal. He had 4 consequences. Takao loved him back, Takao found him disgusting, Takao never knew or Takao might have secretly liked him back.

What’s with the odds?

What was on the line? His pride? Their friendship? But by chance, just if, somehow, Takao actually liked him back, wouldn’t it be a waste if they never got together because he was afraid? But what if Takao actually didn’t like him that way but rather just as, a friend? What would Takao think of him? Would Takao find him disgusting? Would Takao want to be his friend anymore?

“Midorima-kun, we will be here for you.”

That’s right, even if Takao decides to cut all connections with him, he still had his former teammates. They would not think less of him, his captain wouldn’t ostracise him. He would still be part of a team, fighting for the team, only without Takao. He could live with that, he just wanted to get his message across and hope for the best.

“I’ll write it.”

The duo continued looking at him before he continued, “Could you… um… help…” “You want us to read it for you after you’re done, right? Whatever, sure.” “I am willing to help you, Midorima-kun.”

“Goodbye and good luck, Midorima-kun.” “I’ll go with you Tetsu. Have fun, Midorima!” “Aomine-kun, stop being mean.” “Sure, sure.”

Midorima grabbed his bag and left for his house. It had been a hell of a conversation.

X-X-X

Upon exiting the place, Aomine and Kuroko noticed how a familiar blonde was standing outside and seemed to be waiting for someone.

“Kise? Where did Akashi go? That bastard, for mentioning Nijimura… he deserves to be beaten up.”

“I agree with Aomine-kun. That was not nice of Akashi-kun.”

“Ah… Akashicchi… he left…” “WHAT?” “He said he had things to do and he left first.”

“Did he say anything then? What were you guys talking about?”

“He… uh…” “Kise-kun, it is rare of you to stutter, did anything happen?” “Akashicchi is jealous of Takaocchi. He said we should wait a week and if nothing happens we will act.”

“So he _is_ jealous. Whatever, this is so tiring I’m going to sleep.”

X-X-X


	3. Realisation

He locked himself in the room and took an orange piece of paper. He had so many things to write about Takao, but he didn’t want it to sound creepy or give away his identity.

_Hello, Takao-san._

_I want to tell you how madly in love I’m with you. I’ve had my eyes set on you ever since we were in the same class in our second year._

~

The light from the moon filtered through the windows and the table lamp shone brightly on his paper. Gripping the pen in his left hand, he wrote the letter in strange, unfamiliar strokes.

~

_I must say that you look dazzling, especially when you are playing basketball. Did anyone tell you that your blue eyes are simply gorgeous? The way they dance around in joy and excitement, the way your bangs would sway with the wind, the way your mouth would curl up into a grin and tease your friends._

~

“Don’t laugh, Kuroko.”

“I won’t Midorima-kun. I have read worse ones from Kagami-kun. He should really stop trying.”

Kuroko glossed over the entire letter and Midorima noticed how the phantom widened his eyes. “I must say this was actually quite well-written. To begin with, I didn’t even realise it was your handwriting.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Midorima-kun. I believe Takao-kun likes you too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, trust your own judgement of him. Don’t falter, when you meet him, tell him straight. Also, don’t run off like what Aomine-kun suggested.”

“Thank you, Kuroko.”

“My pleasure, Midorima-kun.”

~

_I simply love your basketball skills, the way you sent accurate passes to Midorima-kun’s hands are simply awe-strucking. Even if Shutoku was losing by a huge margin, you would appear cool and calm even if your heart was racing inside. I always admired the way you would pass by defender after defender and your strong bond with your partner._

~

He folded the letter into a heart, signed off and prepared to sleep. Tomorrow, he was leaving for school earlier so that he could put the letter in Takao’s shoebox. Hopefully, Takao would never find out it was him.

~

_Not only that, your personality is simply striking. You may be obnoxious and annoying but I find you humorous and a nice guy to be with. The fact that you are able to put up with Midorima-kun’s behaviour is very admirable and am I right to believe that you also enjoy it? He must be very lucky to have you as a friend and a partner._

_However, I must tell you how hopeless and madly I am in love with you, Takao-san. I cannot stop thinking about you, you appear in my dreams, my heart races every time you speak, my body shoots up every time you touch my arms. You are the one person I want to be with for the rest of my life._

_If you read this letter, could you meet me at the sakura tree after school?_

_Love,_

_Your Secret Admirer_

~

Takao’s lips curled into a grin as he read the letter he found in his shoe box before waving it excitedly at Shin-chan.

“Look Shin-chan!! I got a love letter from… ‘Your Secret Admirer’! It even as a drawing of a hawk on it, I must meet her after school!!”

Midorima kept his usual poker face and pushed up his glasses.

“Well, good for you, Takao.” _I’ll see you after school then._ The drawing of the hawk, he had spent an hour trying to perfect it. At least, it looked realistic and better than the ones he saw Takao try to draw.

Yet, for a moment, he wondered whether he should go to the sakura tree. Takao said ‘her’, he was clearly expecting a female. How would he react if Takao knew it was a boy, that it was Midorima? Scenarios started forming in his mind and somehow, none of them had a happy ending. He started regretting writing the letter and wondered if he should believe what Kuroko had said.

_Trust your own judgement of him. I believe Takao-kun likes you too._

_Are you going to let Takao slip from your touch again?_

_Don’t falter. Don’t run away._

_Are you going to let yourself suffer for another 3 years?_

He finally arrived at a conclusion when the school bell rang, signalling the end of school. _I must meet him at the sakura tree._

X-X-X

Takao was practically skipping as he walked towards the sakura tree. He was humming his favourite song, letter in hand and was all smiles as the tree came into view. However, before the tree stood someone familiar. Green hair, black gakuran, taped fingers, a bear in his hand.

_Wait, isn’t that Shin-chan? What is he doing here?_

“Shin-chan? Why are you here?”

_Oh, hi Takao. You see, I’m your secret admi-_

“I didn’t think you were here to wait for me! I’m impressed, Shin-chan!” Takao slung his arm over Midorima’s shoulder, or tried to except he wasn’t tall enough. “Do you think you could leave me alone for a while? I’m about to meet her, I think I wish to keep it private. Sorry.”

He said it again, ‘her’. It was stinging his heart and Midorima let slip a look of disappointment before he turned to walk away. He should have known, there was no way Takao could ever swing that way, there was no way Takao could love him the same way.

Dammit.

His heart ached as he took a step away from Takao.

One step.

His chest constricted and his hands were trembling. He tightened his grip on his lucky item. Oha Asa was wrong. His love luck certainly is not the highest, neither was his first in terms of luck. Oha Asa certainly got his compatibility with Scorpios wrong too. Nothing expected was ever going to happen today.

_Why is the world so cruel to me?_

Takao turned to look at the sakura tree, all smiles as he awaited for his lover. Yes, it was about time he got a girlfriend, about time he had a romantic relationship with someone.

Another step.

He felt his face burning, his knees growing shaky. His footsteps didn’t even feel stable anymore. Why did he have to fall in love with Takao, with a boy, of all gender? Why couldn’t he be normal and just fancy girls? And why his basketball partner, of all people?

_Would you love me back if I told you I love you?_

But what was this strange feeling in his chest when he saw Shin-chan walk away? What was that strangled expression on Shin-chan’s face when he asked Shin-chan to leave first?

Another step.

A sole tear escaped his fear, burning down his face. He tugged at his shirt, in a desperate attempt to free his heart from the cruel clenched hands of love.

_Or would you find me disgusting?_

What if he got it all wrong? What if it wasn’t a ‘she’?

Another step.

Tears trickled down his face and he lowered his head enough for his bangs to shield his eyes from any students. The pain in his heart, it was growing and it was gnawing at him. He didn’t even know how far he had walked, how far away he was from Takao. He could feel it, Takao slipping away from his touch like what Akashi predicted.

_Takao, would you ever understand how much I love you?_

What if that person was Shin-chan?

X-X-X

Takao made a quick glance around the empty area. Aside from him and Shin-chan who currently seemed to be staggering off, there was no one else. There was only three possible explanations for everything. One, this was just a joke, like a previous letter he received was. Two, she’s late. Maybe she got held back by a teacher or something. Or three, the person who sent him the letter was Shin-chan.

He did not know which one was it. He looked at his watch, 5 minutes past the time they were supposed to meet. He reread the letter, hoping that the letter would send him answers. The handwriting looked completely unfamiliar, certainly not Shin-chan’s perfect, beautiful handwriting.

But he could have forged it like he gave an anonymous name, right?

Takao stared more intently at the letter.

_“My heart races every time you speak, my body shoots up every time you touch my arms.”_

Isn’t Shin-chan the only person he touched? Isn’t Shin-chan the only person he spoke to, other than his basketball teammates and occasionally his classmates?

“ _Even if Shutoku was losing by a huge margin, you would appear cool and calm even if your heart was racing inside.”_

Only Shin-chan knew how he actually felt when Shutoku was losing. Only Shin-chan would know how nervous and anxious he felt even if he seemed unaffected. Only Shin-chan could notice the false front he was putting up.

“ _You may be obnoxious and annoying but I find you humorous and a nice guy to be with.”_

Only Shin-chan ever found him obnoxious and annoying. Only Shin-chan would say such a thing. His personality will always force him to made a remark before a compliment.

So doesn’t that mean Shin-chan is “Your Secret Admirer”?

But that can’t be right. It must be a mistake. Shin-chan could never love a boy like him. Shin-chan certainly does not fancy boys, he doesn’t even engage in a relationship with anyone so how could Shin-chan love him? But what if Shin-chan does? That the reason Shin-chan never had girlfriends was because Shin-chan loved him that much?

Doesn’t that make Shin-chan gay? Wouldn’t that destroy his family’s name?

This is all a mistake. He must be dreaming.

Yet, the way the word ‘Takao’ was written was staring back at him. He noticed a slight difference in the way his name was written. It looked exactly like the ones Shin-chan always wrote when they chose their project partner. No doubt, that was Shin-chan’s handwriting.

X-X-X

He looked up and saw Shin-chan’s figure fading into the distance. Shin-chan’s footsteps weren’t even stable anymore, he looked like he was stumbling like a drunkard. His head was down, Shin-chan never looked down. He noticed how Shin-chan stopped for a while, lifted his right arm to his face before lifting his head slowly, looking towards the sky before turning back to look at him.

They locked gazes for a few moments before Shin-chan abruptly turned around, vanishing in the distance.

Within those few moment, Takao noticed how Shin-chan’s emerald eyes were engulfed with sorrow, how he no longer held the poker face, how his face looked… tear-stained. Shin-chan was crying, Shin-chan was crying and there could only be one reason why.

Shin-chan loves him.

_Do I love Shin-chan then?_

_Heck, of course I love Shin-chan. All those unknown feelings inside me whenever I’m with Shin-chan, I finally understand them. I’m in love with Shin-chan, and Shin-chan loves me back._

He took off, dropping the letter immediately and sprinted as fast as his legs could take him.

_I’m so sorry Shin-chan for not noticing earlier._

He heard footsteps behind him and quickened his pace. He had no idea how to face Takao, not after he had written a letter, promptly left the meeting place and was crying silently. At that thought, he brought his hand up to wipe away his tears but they just kept falling. There was no point in stopping them, the school gate was just in view, he could easily run home, hide in bed and cry till there were no more tears left.

“Shin-chan! Wait!”

_I’m so sorry I made you cry._

A few more steps and he could grab Shin-chan’s shoulder. Students were still leaving the school in a steady stream. There was still a faint chance that his secret admirer was late. Maybe he had just imagine Shin-chan’s writing, maybe that girl asked Shin-chan to write his name.

_Well, fuck it. I’m in love with Shin-chan, I’ll just reject her then._

He reached out and drag Shin-chan by his arm, back to the sakura tree.

“T-Takao, what are you doing?”

“Shin-chan, listen to me.” Takao picked up the letter on the floor and faced his back towards Shin-chan. “You wrote the letter, didn’t you?”

_So he knows. Well, that doesn’t change anything. Takao isn’t like us._

“I…”

“I recognised the way you wrote my name, Shin-chan. You can’t give any excuses. I know you wrote the letter.” Takao gripped the letter tighter. Was Shin-chan just going to give an excuse after everything Takao saw?

“I didn’t. This has to be a joke.” Midorima croaked. He had to stop those tears from falling, it would give away everything.

_So he is going to give an excuse. Stupid Shin-chan._

“Oh, I see…” He clenched his fists before turning around roughly and pushing Shin-chan against the tree. “You are still lying to me, Shin-chan?”

Takao noticed how tears flowed out of Shin-chan’s eyes, how the shooting guard’s mouth trembled, how the Miracle ace’s fists were shaking badly, how his hair was clearly out of place. He tightened his grip around Shin-chan’s arms, looking straight at those emerald eyes.

“Tell me Shin-chan, did you write the letter?”

“So what if I did?” Midorima’s face was burning with rage and anger. Why did Takao care if he wrote the letter? “You are not like us, I know that already. Let me go.”

“So you did write the letter… Then why did you walk away? Why didn’t you just say you are my secret admirer?” Takao pressed further. He knew he was probably making Shin-chan but he didn’t care. He wanted answers, and he wanted Shin-chan to stop crying. Every time a tear left Shin-chan’s eyes, his heart ached. He hated to see Shin-chan cry. He saw it once when they lost to Rakuzan and he didn’t want to see it again.

“BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT LIKE US!” Midorima roared, pushing Takao’s hand away as his body trembled with fury. “You are not like us, you could never be like us. I knew there was no point, no… point…” His voice quivered before it faded away. The wind blew against them, ruffling against their hair as Takao stared wide-eyed. Shin-chan never lashed out at him before, Shin-chan never shouted at him, Shin-chan never looked… this upset.

“Like what… I’m not like… what?”

“You could n-never love another boy because you are… straight, you fancy girls, unlike… unlike me and my former teammates… I love you… but… y-you could never love me… ” Midorima broke into a quiet whimper before he lost his balance and fell, slumping against the tree bark and taking in heavy breaths.

Takao looked on, surprised, overwhelmed and shocked.

_You could never love another boy._

He watched as Shin-chan brought up his knees, burying his face in his hands.

_I love you but you could never love me._

The atmosphere was heavy and awfully silent, with only the sound of Midorima’s sobs interrupting the silence. Takao’s mind was a blur, he didn’t even know what was happening anymore.

_I love you._

Shin-chan loved him. Takao knew that for sure.

_But you could never love me._

But what was this sudden doubt within him? He knew he loved Shin-chan but why was he suddenly doubting everything? Was it because of what Shin-chan said? Why was his heart stinging in pain? Why did he feel like crying?

Midorima dried up his tears and stood up shakily, leaning against the tree for support as he watched the flurry of expressions on Takao’s face. Well, at least Takao didn’t say he was disgusting of sorts, Maybe they could still remain friends.

 

He took a step forward but someone pushed him back against the tree.

_Not again._

Warm arms wrapped around his body and he felt someone leaning against his chest, gripping tightly onto his uniform. He looked down and as expected, it was Takao. Takao was hugging him, he didn’t know if he should feel happy or annoyed but for now, he should probably return the hug. Slowly, he hung his hands around Takao’s neck, resting his head on Takao’s. The moment he felt Takao’s warm breathing against his chest, his brain short circuited and closed his eyes. Whatever the outcome, he would just enjoy this hug for as long as it could last.

“Shin-chan… who says I could never love you…”

Midorima’s eyes shot open and he pulled away from the hug. He saw tears dripping of Takao’s face, those lovely blue eyes filled with tears. A small smile crept up Takao’s face as the shorter boy tilted his head up.

“I love you too, Shin-chan.”

X-X-X


	4. Kazunari

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!

_I love you too, Shin-chan._

_I love you too, Shin-chan._

Well, scrap whatever he thought. He loves Takao and Takao loves him back. That’s all he needs to know.

“I just didn’t expect it…” Takao lowered his head, “But I should have known when I started dreaming about you… I thought… I thought it was nothing that it was probably because you were my basketball partner and I… I spent a lot of time with you. I didn’t even realise I was in l-love with you until… until I read the letter again.” Takao collapsed into his chest once again. “I’m so sorry I made you wait so long.” Midorima let Takoa lie on him and closed his eyes. Finally, he had been waiting for this for so long.

“I should have said something earlier.”

“What?”

“If I sent you the letter earlier, would you have realised earlier?”

“Shin-chan, were you that impatient?”

“You have no idea, nanodayo.”

Takao chuckled and Midorima let out a small laugh and wrapped his strong arms around Takao’s back, closing his eyes and whispering softly into Takao’s ears. “You have no idea how long I have waited. I love you, Takao. I really do. I fell in love with you since the start of the year. I wanted to tell you but I was scared that I would be wrong. Your eyes were simply dazzling to me and my stomach flipped every time you sent me a roaring pass because they were perfection. Those passes were perfect it would be a regret if I didn’t shoot them flawlessly. When I saw you walking towards the tree, I thought you already knew because you were smiling.” Upon hearing that, Takao let loose a few more tears and nuzzled Shin-chan’s chest.

“But you didn’t, you thought I was here to wait for you after school. I actually wanted to confess but I realised there was no point. I thought you weren’t like us. It really hurt to walk away from you. When you called out my name again, I wanted to run away because I couldn’t face you. I was too scared. When you asked me if I wrote the letter, I could only deny because I was scared to let you know the truth. I didn’t want our friendship to end, I didn’t want to break the team so I didn’t agree to it. But when you held me to the tree, when you saw me crying, I felt that whatever the outcome, I should just tell you how much I love you.” Midorima tightened his grip on Takao and pulled Takao closer to him. “And when you hugged me, I felt really happy. My heart ached to see you cry and I wanted to comfort you so I hugged you back. You have no idea how happy I was when you told me you love me.”

“I love you very much, Shin-chan.” They stayed in the same position for a minute or so before Midorima broke the silence.

Slowly removing his glasses, Midorima leaned closer to Takao. “Could we try… something…?” Takao agreed with a knowing smile and let their noses graze past each other until they were just inches apart. Unable to resists the temptation anymore, Midorima plastered his lips onto Takao’s. He moved his mouth in sync with Takao’s, grabbing the back of Takao’s head as he took in the taste of Takao’s lips. The lips he had been dying to touch, the lips he dreamt of every night, this precise moment. It all finally happened and Midorima Shintarou could not be any happier.

X-X-X

“Shin-chan, was the letter your idea of a confession?” Takao chuckled and earned himself a death glare.

“Shut up, Takao.”

“No, I really enjoyed reading it.”

“How did you know I wrote it?” Midorima arch his eyebrow as their fingers interlocked. They had exchanged a few more kisses, watched the sakura petals fall before deciding to leave the school.

“Well, the word ‘Takao’ gave it all away. Also, Shin-chan, I don’t remember touching anyone else other than you, neither do I remember being called obnoxious and annoying but anyone else but you.” Takao teased and tugged at Midorima’s hand.

“Hmph.”

“Did you mean it when you write that?”

“No.” Midorima grumbled. Of course he meant it but he could never admit so.

“That’s mean, I’m breaking up with you.” Takao pouted and let go of Midorima’s hands. However, the giant grabbed his hand and tightened his grip.

“I mean yes, don’t you dare, Takao.”

“I was just joking, Shin-chan.” Takao burst into peals of laughter while Midorima pushed his glasses up.

“Fool.”

“Tsundere.”

They continued walking before stopping in front of Takao’s house.

“Shin-chan.”

“What is it, Takao?”

“Does that mean we are together?”

“I presume so.”

“Then call me by my given name.”

“No.”

“Pleasee.”

“No.”

“Shin-ta-rou~”

“...”

“Shin-ta-rou~”

“Kazu… Kazunari…” Midorima mumbled silently but Takao’s eyes shot up in delight. “Thank you Shintarou!”

“Whatever.”

“I love you!!”

A deep blush crept up Midorima’s face and he watched as Takao closed the gate behind him.

“I love you too…”

It was a soft whisper but Takao heard it. He turned his head around just to see a smile creep up Shin-chan’s face and grinned. They had taken one hell of a detour but at least they were together. At last.

\-----

 

“Oh god. Finally, finally they are together.” A bored voice drawled and slumped on the table. “That took so long, I was dying.”

“At least they are together, Aomine-kun. Kise-kun, are you okay?” The teal haired boy took a sip of his vanilla milkshake and turned to his counterpart.

“I’m not, Kurokocchi!! They are… Oh… This is so sad…” The blonde model started tearing up, leaving his companions unsurprised.

“Crybaby.” “Shut up, Aominecchi!!”

“So Akashi, jealous huh?” “Watch your tongue, Daiki.” “Whatever, but you got to admit, Takao is very fitting for Midorima. You should see how Midorima smiles when he’s with Takao.”

“But it was such a stupid idea to spy on their confession.”

“I’ve never seen Midorima-kun cried so much.” 

“This is so sadd~”

“Don’t complain, Daiki. You initiated the idea.” It started out with a suggestion to follow Midorima and Takao, to make sure the confession actually happened. Kuroko had read Midorima’s letter and they hid amongst the bushes behind the sakura tree. The 4 of them were on the verge of ripping Midorima to pieces when they saw the greenhead walking away. Aomine was the most enraged and wanted to leap out and punch the both of them but when they finally kissed, he cooled down and focused on shutting up a sobbing Kise. They continued following the duo and walked on as they passed by Takao’s house before going on their separate ways at the next junction.

“Takao Kazunari, you had better take good care of Shintarou.”


End file.
